The question that every employee should ask himself

Rebbeca Walton - Dec 5, 2018

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We’ve all been there – feeling stuck and trapped in a job or career we don’t really want. There are tons of us out there who feel like we’re not fulfilling our dreams, and who are looking for the next opportunity bus that comes careening by so we can jump aboard. Well, this seems like the best and most sensible way of doing things, right? Well, yes, but not entirely. You want to do what’s right for you, but this involves time and effort.

You have to question your motivations and consider whether the actions you’re taking are the right one. It can be difficult to determine this when you’re first starting out, but it’s crucial that you have some kind of career strategy. Too many people find themselves dissatisfied with their work for any number of reasons, and they can sometimes make rash and impulsive decisions as a result. Here are some of the best questions that anyone serious about the right career path should ask themselves.

Where do you see yourself?

Instead of asking yourself what kind of job you want to have, instead try asking yourself where you see your life in 5 or 10 years. This might seem a little hokey, and you may not have thought too much about it, but this question can actually make a big difference to the decisions you make. Setting yourself life goals is important, and these will inform the decisions you hope to make in your career. Where you see yourself in the future plays a big role in the decisions you will make and the path you will head down.

Is the grass always greener?

It’s really easy to get into that mindset of thinking the grass is always greener. If you feel unhappy or a little disenfranchised in your career path, everything else suddenly looks much more appealing and attractive. But, the grass is not always greener, and making the decision to drastically switch career paths based on this feeling is not always a good thing. Make sure you question whether the new role you’re eyeing is right for you. It could be, but it also may not be. It needs to be the right time, the right company, and the right package before you commit to a move.

Could your current career be the way forward?

If you’re bored and jaded in your current role, you probably do need a change, but it could just be within the company you’re in. Moving to a different role, a new team, or a fresh department could be exactly what the doctor ordered, and may well work out as one of the best ways of improving your career prospects. You have to make sure you think about whether your current career path might actually be the perfect one. It may just need to be tweaked here and there to ensure that it’s perfect.

These are important and pertinent questions that prospective employees should be asking themselves. It’s always important to understand that you will have peaks and troughs in your job, but you shouldn’t always quit as soon as something doesn’t go your way. Instead, you should ask yourself important questions, and find out if the path you’re going down is the right one.